Skipper, Carrasquillo-Childs are all-star attention getters

East Hartford - Attention college football coaches everywhere: Southeastern Connecticut has two quality recruits just waiting for a home.

Defensive end Tuzar Skipper of Norwich Free Academy and receiver Khary Carrasquillo-Childs of Ledyard each played key roles in Team Constitution's 29-20 win over Team Nutmeg at Saturday's Connecticut High School Coaches Association Super 100 Classic senior all-star game at Rentschler Field.

The Constitution coaches chose Skipper to be one of their captains and he more than lived up to the job. He had a sack and raised a whole lot of havoc to earn his team's defensive MVP honor. He is headed to Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y.

"That's my home for this fall," Skipper said. "I leave July 7 for some summer classes, so I get in there early and hopefully get out early and find a permanent home."

Carrasquillo-Childs had three catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. He's still looking for a place to extend his football career.

"I might end up going to Three Rivers at first to get my grades up," Carrasquillo-Childs said. "Get my grades up, get all A's instead of playing around with my grades this time. Do well, and then transfer."

NFA's Calvin Green and Ramel Williams also played for the Constitution while New London's Jose Garcia and Nico Ramos were part of Team Nutmeg.

Skipper wowed the Constitution coaches with both his attitude and work ethic. His sentences usually begin with, "Yes sir." Ledyard coach Jim Buonocore was prescient prior to kickoff, saying that Skipper would be his team's defensive MVP.

"His energy, his enthusiasm, his passion for the game, his work ethic, he has 'it' ... whatever 'it' is," Constitution defensive coordinator Andy Guyon of Xavier said. "He's just an absolute pleasure to coach. I hope great things for him because he's a wonderful kid.

"He's built like a Greek God, so what we like to do defensively, we need that edge rusher and we got it in him. He's our Lawrence Taylor."

Skipper was humbled when he heard he was a captain.

"It was a phenomenal feeling," Skipper said. "It was just through the roof."

Skipper laughed and added, "I think it was the right choice."

It looked as if Carrasquillo-Childs scored a 21-yard touchdown in the first quarter, but an official ruled that he stepped out at the Nutmeg 4.

No matter. Carrasquillo-Childs somehow got behind three defenders and caught a 57-yard touchdown from Glastonbury's Jalen Ollie to give the Constitution a 21-0 lead with over six minutes left in the second quarter.

"(Ollie) threw it in a pocket where I could get it," Carrasquillo-Childs said. "The first (defender) I faked, the second one, I don't know (how I got past him), it just happened.

"I love playing football. I love to play safety, but wide receiver, I just love it (more)."

Buonocore is hoping to find a school that will take Carrasquillo-Childs, and believes that both he and Skipper will make an college program happy on-and-off the field.

"I think Khary can play at the next level," Buonocore said. "And the great thing about him as a football player is he offers a program either a tall, athletic wide receiver with great hands and good power and moves after the catch, or he can flip onto the defensive side and be a cover corner or a downhill tackling safety.

"If given a chance to make things right (academically), I think they will succeed."